Blog of Jesse Magnan. That would make it my blog, where I post reviews, share stories and utter out loud the occasional thought that I probably should have kept to myself.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Dungeons And Dragons: The Movie, Take 4

Hasbro,
and its subsidiary Wizards of the Coast is suingSweatpea
Entertainment over who currently controls the film
rights to Dungeons and Dragons.

Does
Hasbro have a case? Sweetpea Entertainment (Courtney
Solomon's company that acquiredthe rights in 1994) has released two other
films during this time without so much as a word from Hasbro. So my thoughts on
the issue would be that Hasbro's silence on the two later films would beenough to give Sweetpea the all clear. However
Hasbro is trying to claim a differentiation between a theatrical release and a
movie that was made for T.V.

But
the question among fans of fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons, and role playing is
not about who should make the movie. The real question is this; are Hasbro and Sweetpea
really fighting over nothing more than a polished turd? Which while interesting is still
a shiny piece of crap.

I'm
not saying that there can never be a good Dungeons and Dragons Movie. I am sure
many people thought that there could never be a good Lord of the Rings film, but
many years and awards later we have seen it can be done.

So
before I give up all hope I have a few ideas on how a quality D&D movie
could be made. But first things first let's go back to the beginning and look
at what went wrong.

The
first Dungeons and Dragons Movie

We
can break a film down into three levels; the script, the acting/directing, and
of course the special effects.

After
having watched it and combed through a multitude of reviews in which people lamented
on how they would never get back the time spent watching this movie I would
agree that this movie failed on all three levels.

The Script

No
one was expecting an award winning script. There are certain aspects of fantasy
that are standard, and not everyone is able to turn a trope on its head. But this
movie doesn't even strive for originality.Its stock situations; saving a kingdom, the naive boy becoming the hero,
the black side kick (who many people compared to Stepin Fetchit) were so cliché
as to be insulting.

Even
worse there were times it felt like scenes were actually lifted from other
movies and just given a fantasy edge.One scene was reminiscent of Raiders
of the Lost Ark. Considering the vast quantity of material available from TSR as source material, to steal from
other popular movies was just lazy. Or were the editors and director so
enamored with their project to not see the similarities?

The
fact that they didn't use any apparent source material is where this script
fails. TSR created hundreds of books, supplements, and manuals to help with
storytelling and world building. And yet the writers ignored any of these tools
and gave us a sort of amorphic world in which we are not really sure how Elves,
Dwarves, Halflings and Humans interact with each other. The Lord of The Rings
Trilogy gave us a sense that this world existed before the movie, and would
exist after. That this was a world of ancient struggles, and we were only
visiting it for just a brief moment. The Dungeons and Dragons movie does the
exact opposite. The world felt very much like it was created for the film,
which it more than likely was. Furthermore, while we are told a little about the
politics and the class struggles of this world we as an audience are never
really given a reason to care.

I
do get the sense that there was an attempt to capture the varied emotions and
experiences of the gaming table by creating tonal shifts. But the writers failed
miserably, and we are left with a movie that inexplicably changes tone in the
third act, leaving us all a bit confused as to what movie we are watching.

The Acting/Directing

With
such an awful script you could hope that it would be saved by the actors and
the Director. No such luck here. The Director, Courtney Solomon a person who
having never been to film school… or possibly any school, had no business
directing or producing this movie. Courtney Solomon secured the option for the
film, the reasons he managed to gain these rights are perhaps lost to history,
as there are a number of differentstories. In the end movie goers
and D&Ders alike were let down.

As
a side note I once read an interview where it turns out that when they were
first shopping this movie a round James Cameron approached TSR at the time asking
if his cinematographer could direct it. Lorraine Williams (one of the worst
people to happen to Dungeons and Dragons in my opinion) turned him down. I have
been looking but am unable to find this interview again.

The
dialogue felt chunky and awkward in the actor’s mouths. Like they weren’t
familiar with the words they were saying. This ties directly into world
building, you can’t expect us to believe you live in this world when you don’t
believe it yourself.

Perhaps
just as distracting are the extras who feel more like they are meandering for
the sake of the camera, when they should be the denizens of this fantasy world.

Visual Effects

Where
to begin? As a fantasy epic the visual effects should help drive the film. Relying
heavily on early 90's CGI for the vast city scape and magical affects, we are
left with the feeling that we are watching a video game (cheesy would be a
compliment). Now I will admit I did enjoy the dragons, but the dragons are all
of fifteen minutes of the film. Other than the city scape and the dragons there
is actually very few special effects. And what visual stimulus we get that
should help with the atmosphere only leaves us wondering (it was noted in one
review that a dwarf in the bazaar looks like he is carrying a plastic axe).

A
clichéd script, uninspired actors, special effects that aren’t worthy of an
Atari Game come together to ruin this film and cast a taint on the Dungeons and
Dragons film franchise.

The
Second Dungeons and Dragon's movie

I don’t how or why but for some reason
they actually made a sequel to the first Dungeons and Dragons movie. Dungeons
and Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God, was made for a fraction of the budget of the first one.
And in some ways this direct to television model worked out better.

The Script

This
sequel takes place one hundred years after the first in the same amorphic
world. Where the previous script failed to take advantage of the source
material this one does not. The equipment used by the main characters would be
recognized by even the most casual gamer. Even how spells are used and the
behavior of the villains and various monsters all follow closely with the
source material. In fact the script follows too closely giving us archetypes of
the classes instead of well-rounded characters. Even going so far as to almost
openly explain to us what is in the players hand book.

The
most common comment I noticed among all of the reviews was that it felt like
watching a table top game in progress, where the character classes utilize
their strengths to overcome obstacles.

The
pacing is much better, albeit much, much slower. But in the end it did suffer
plot wholes that only a D&Der would be able to fill in from their vast
store of knowledge.

The Acting/Directing

The casting was much improved.
Though none of the main actors were well known they definitely could pull off
the stilted dialogue. The direction was better too. I felt far more attached to
these characters then I did with those of the original movie.

Visual Effects

But
whatever points this film gained in acting and direction it loses in special
and visual effects. The overall feel is that of bad cosplay, coupled with computer
effects generated on someone’s mac.

The
overall impression is of a made for SyFy movie. Everything looks cheaply made
(including the sets) and that it was taped using couple of hundred dollar Canons.

The
Third Dungeons and Dragons Movie

I didn’t watch this movie when it
came out, but I forced myself to watch it earlier today and tried to keep an
open mind. I actually became excited with the opening Epilogue.

The Script

This
third film in the Dungeons and Dragons line has little to do with the previous
two, and has a darker and more adult tenor with violence, nudity, and sex. If
given a better treatment this film could have been THE Dungeons and Dragons
movie. The scripthas have given us an
amorphic world (again), with some history, but it still feels very much crafted
for the movie. World building is pretty much nonexistent.

The
protagonist is supposed to go through dynamic shifts that happen too quickly,
and as always the characters are mostly archetypes and stock. The only
exception is the love interest that apparently falls in love with the
protagonist’s penis. At least that is my assumption because she has sex with
him and suddenly she betrays her master for his love. There is not enough time
for the epiphanies and realizations to happen within the time frame set by the
film.

And
like the second film, the script itself relies too much on its audience’s familiarity
with the genre. SO we are given classes and races... but really have no idea
what that means in the grander scheme of things in this world. Nor are we given
any indication that the world exists outside of what this group is trying to
accomplish.

The Acting/Directing

I
enjoyed the actor’s portrayals with the exception of the protagonist, who
sounded mostly like a whiny little boy who didn’t get his way. There are of
course just as many reviews of this film that believe the acting was completely
atrocious, though I think some of this may be a result of really bad dialogue.
I may have just been enamored with the fact that Dungeons and Dragons had sex,
nudity, and prostitutes.

Visual Effects

This third film had the lowest
budget of them all and it shows. The costumes all resemble Halloween costumes,
and many of the weapons look like they are either foam or plastic.

The
set designer seemed to switch between using a set recycled from the original Star
Trek series, and using interiors inside a museum or government building.

Perhaps
the most egregious assault on the franchise is the way in which the battles are
played out. They are at best poorly choreographed, with better battle scenes
being simulated by little boys and girls outside playing pretend.

Its
one saving grace is that computer effects having gotten both cheaper, and more
sophisticated.

What Can Be Done?

I have no clue who will win the
lawsuit, though I have to say considering the train wreck that Solomon made out
of the entire franchise I am routing for Wizards of the Coast. Nor do I know
what either side will do or have done when writing the script. I only know what
I would do.

First I would have to look at the
difficulties of writing the script, what obstacles stand in my way.

One of the obstacles is definition.
What is a Dungeons and Dragons movie? For that I have to decide what makes me,
or any others, love Dungeons and Dragons, and what it this game is at its
heart. Dungeons and dragons is community. It is a group of people coming
together in common cause and sharing something. Transferring that feeling of
camaraderie, community, and shared experience to the screen is perhaps the
biggest hurdle.

But it is not impossible. One way
this can be done is with well-rounded and complex characters. Ideally a character would
come into being that a potential audience would see some of themselves in. And
Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro has created many tools for helping with character
creation. I would start by using these tools. So right away we have characters
being generated while using the tools available. Using this method the
characters created would hopefully give them the appropriate feel.

My next step would be to give them a
world, and not just any world I made up. Wizard's has over half a dozen worlds
to choose from. Why reinvent the wheel and struggle with world building when these
worlds have been built and have gained an incredible degree of depth, detail,
and history.

And finally the main plot. I would
go through many of the modules and use one of those.

Now
that I have characters, a world, and a plot (gained from a module) I would
blend it all together, and of course cut out what didn't work.

And after that, I would edit, and
edit, and edit, and peer edit, and edit. Honestly I wonder how much peer
editing the previous scripts went through. Next would come something else I
don't think the movies went through, seated readings. Have some people sit
around and read each part, while others sit and listen. This is an awesome way to
check pacing, plot holes, and gaps, particularly if those who are listening are
not familiar with the subject matter. The editing process is just as important
as the writing process. And in the end can only make for a stronger script.

With the script fixed now I have to
deal with both the acting and direction. And sad to say there really is no
reason for the poor acting, or the poor direction. Film and acting schools
produce quality individuals every year who, for all intents and purposes, are
starving for work. SO instead of hiring friends actually hold auditions and
hire these talented individuals.

And of course finally the visual
effects. Where to begin... Well if I can't afford the effect, rewrite the
script so I can use the effect I can afford. Second there are times when refferring
to something happening s just as good as showing it. If I can't afford decent
gore for torture don't show the torture, but I can let the audience hear the
torture. Computer effects have become
cheaper to use, but there should also be a balance between modeling and computer
effects.

And never ever use plastic weapons.
Ever. They look tacky. If I could only afford so many replica swords and such
than I would have to cut down on when and how they are used.

Conclusion

Looking back I think it all comes
down to the script. If the script is written well, edited, and geared for a
lower budget to begin with then making
it a decent film at a higher budget should be easy.

About Me

Getting older means having survived another year on a planet that is trying to kill us, in a solar system that is a shooting gallery within a galaxy that has a black hole in the center in a universe that isn't even aware of our existence.